In 2025, professor Bruce Houghton retired from the University of Hawaii at Manoa after 25 years as the Gordon A. Macdonald chair of volcanology. He was only the second person to hold the position in the past half century. With his retirement, let’s reflect on a career that helped shape how scientists understand explosive eruptions, volcanic hazards, and how communities live with active volcanoes.

Born and educated in New Zealand, Houghton established himself as a leading volcanologist at the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences New Zealand before joining the University of Hawaii in 2000. In Hawaii, he became not only a researcher and professor, but also the state volcanologist.

Much of Houghton’s scientific work focused on a deceptively simple question: what can volcanic deposits tell us about the processes that created them? His answer is that the details matter. The textures and densities of erupted volcanic particles, their organization in volcanic deposits, and how they travel in the atmosphere are not just measurements. They are clues to how magma rises, releases gas, interacts with the vent environment, and ultimately erupts.

Houghton also pioneered the application of high-speed, high-resolution imaging of active volcanoes to quantify eruption processes with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. The impact of this work is reflected in a research record that includes more than $8 million in research funding since 2000, 291 journal publications, and nearly 20,000 references to his work.

His research challenged the common perception that basaltic volcanoes such as Kilauea and Mauna Loa are relatively simple compared with explosive volcanoes elsewhere in the world. Houghton showed that basaltic eruptions can display a remarkable range of explosive behavior, from exceptionally weak bubble bursts to powerful explosive activity. Basaltic eruptions can shift rapidly and reversibly through a spectrum of styles in a single event, from pulsating gas emission and episodic bursts to Hawaiian fountaining and more explosive eruptions. His work demonstrated that these changes often depend on shallow conduit processes and the vent environment, not just magma composition.

Houghton remained deeply connected to Hawaii’s volcanoes and communities. He worked closely with scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and participated in the scientific response to both the 2008-2018 summit lava lake eruption and the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea.

His influence extended far beyond his own research through the generations of students he mentored — 17 doctoral students at the University of Hawaii, four in New Zealand, and two in Iceland — many of whom now work in universities, geological surveys, volcano observatories, and emergency management organizations around the world. During the 2018 eruption, many former and current University of Hawaii students who trained under Houghton played important roles in the response, demonstrating the lasting impact of his commitment to education, mentorship, and public service.

Houghton also refused to separate volcano science from the human world around it. He championed the idea that volcanic crises are not purely scientific events; decisions by residents, emergency managers, planners, and elected officials can strongly influence how communities experience volcanic hazards.

Throughout his career, he advocated for closer collaboration between volcanologists, social scientists, emergency managers, and educators. As science director of the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center at the University of Hawaii, he helped develop training programs connecting volcanic science with emergency preparedness and public safety.

The scientific community recognized Houghton’s contributions through numerous honors. In 2017, he received the Thorarinsson Medal, the highest award in international volcanology. He was also elected a fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the Geological Society of America, and the Royal Society of New Zealand.

In 2025, he was named the world’s second-highest-ranked physical volcanologist based on publications, citations, awards, and impact. He was president of the Geological Society of New Zealand (at age 28!) and deputy secretary-general of the International Association of Volcanology.

Although Houghton has retired from his roles in Hawaii and returned to New Zealand, his connections to volcanology here remain strong. His continuing collaborations, including studies of Kilauea’s ongoing episodic lava-fountaining eruption, ensure that his influence extends well beyond his years at the University of Hawaii. As volcanic activity continues in Hawaii, many of the scientists, ideas, and approaches that guide our understanding of eruptions will continue to reflect the lasting influence of Bruce Houghton.

Volcano Activity Updates

Kilauea has been erupting episodically within the summit caldera since Dec. 23, 2024. Its USGS Volcano Alert level is ADVISORY.

Episode 49 of summit lava fountaining happened for 7.5 hours on June 14. Summit region inflation since the end of episode 49 indicates that another fountaining episode is possible. Models currently indicate that episode 50 is most likely to occur between June 25-27. No unusual activity has been noted along Kilauea’s East Rift Zone or Southwest Rift Zone.

Mauna Loa is not erupting. Its USGS Volcano Alert Level is at NORMAL.

Eight earthquakes were reported felt in the Hawaiian Islands during the past week. Those above magnitude-3 are: a M3.6 earthquake 14 km (8 mi) S of Volcano at 7 km (4 mi) depth on June 24 at 8:29 a.m., a M3.2 earthquake 13 km (8 mi) SSE of Fern Forest at 6 km (3 mi) depth on June 23 at 9 a.m. HST, a M3.8 earthquake 21 km (13 mi) S of Honaunau-Napoopoo at 5 km (3 mi) depth on June 22 at 6:20 a.m., and a M3.1 earthquake 12 km (7 mi) SSE of Volcano at 6 km (3 mi) depth on June 20 at 7:55 p.m.

Please visit HVO’s website for past Volcano Watch articles, Kilauea and Mauna Loa updates, volcano photos, maps, recent earthquake information, and more. Email questions to askHVO@usgs.gov.

SALMON — State officials are celebrating the grand opening of Idaho’s newest state park.

Twin Peaks Ranch State Park at 199 Twin Peaks Ranch Road between Challis and Salmon, opened in May. The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation recently acquired the 670-acre site from a private landowner and hosted a ribbon-cutting and open house on Saturday.

The park offers a variety of amenities, including 25 full-service cabins, a lodge and a restaurant. It also has a disc golf course, a rodeo arena and an equestrian center.

“We’ll be able to stage horseback tours out of that area,” Ryan Buffington, the department’s East Region manager who serves as the park’s spokesman,” told EastIdahoNews.com in May. “We’re working with the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to designate an off-highway vehicle trailhead as well.”

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Two campgrounds are in development on the property for future use — one accommodating off-highway vehicles and the other catering to people on horseback.

Community members, local leaders and visitors across the state attended Saturday’s open house. Muzzie Braun from Challis-based band Braun Brothers Reunion was there, as was Salmon Back Country Horsemen Association. Multiple food vendors were there as well, including Water’s Edge Food Truck, and Taco Wagon Food Truck.

In a June 18 news release, Idaho Parks and Recreation Director Susan Buxton said she’s excited to celebrate the opening of Idaho’s 30th state park, and the 28th one under the department’s management.

“Opening Twin Peaks Ranch State Park marks a historic milestone for Idaho Parks and Recreation,” Buxton said. “This park serves as a gateway to endless outdoor recreation opportunities while creating a premier destination for visitors seeking adventure, relaxation and unforgettable experiences.”

Twin Peaks Ranch is the first newly acquired standalone state park in nearly 30 years. Thousand Springs in Gooding County, which is a natural discharge point for the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, wasn’t recognized as an official state park until 2005. The designation merged four natural landmarks — Malad Gorge, Niagara Springs, Billingsley Creek and Ritter Island — into one unified site.

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Heyburn State Park, created in 1908, is Idaho’s oldest state park, according to the University of Idaho. The donation of the Harriman family’s 11,000-acre ranch to the State of Idaho in 1963 — what is now Harriman State Park — led to the creation of the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation.

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Buffington says the Moore family sold the Twin Peaks Ranch property to the State of Idaho in October. They bought it in 2018. It began operating as a guest ranch in the 1990s, but had been a dude ranch for 40 years before that.

While there is evidence of early settlements on the property in the 1890s, Buffington says its definitive history begins in the 1950s. E. DuPont bought it, built five cabins and ran it as a dude ranch. It was sold to another private holding in the 1970s, and more amenities were added.

Buffington says multiple Moore family members were involved in the ranch when they bought it eight years ago. Many of them backed out over time, and managing it became “too challenging.” That’s what led the family to list it for sale.

The State of Idaho saw the listing and bought it from them. Buffington says they were thrilled with the idea of it becoming public property that everyone could enjoy.

“Twin Peaks Ranch State Park represents a significant investment in Idaho’s public lands and local communities. The project reflects IDPR’s mission to improve quality of life through outdoor recreation and resource stewardship while expanding public access to some of Idaho’s most scenic and unspoiled landscapes,” the news release says. “The park is expected to deliver lasting benefits to recreation, conservation, tourism, and community well-being for generations to come.”

Department officials say Twin Peaks Ranch State Park is ideal for corporate retreats, weddings, family reunions and other events. To make a reservation or learn more, call 208-894-2290 or visit the website.